Jon Hiseman

English drummer, record producer, recording engineer, and music publisher.
Born June 21, 1944 in Woolwich, London, England.
Died June 12, 2018.

Initially began his career as a session drummer, but quickly moved on and joined [url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Graham+Bond+Organization%2C+The]The Graham Bond Organisation[/url] in 1966, with whom he stayed until 1968, when he briefly joined John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, before forming his own act, Colosseum, with Dick Heckstall-Smith, and Tony Reeves. They recorded 3 studio albums, but were disbanded in November 1971. Hiseman worked with the The New Jazz Orchestra in this period, marrying another member of NJO, saxophonist Barbara Thompson in 1967; the couple had two children.

In 1972, Hiseman formed [url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Tempest+%286%29]Tempest[/url], who released 2 albums before matters came to a close in 1974. Along with Gary Moore, and Don Airey, he formed Colosseum II in 1975 and like the original Colosseum, they too released 3 albums, before they were instrumental in the success of the Andrew Lloyd Webber album, [url=http://www.discogs.com/Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-Variations/release/1971920]'Variations'[/url]; which reached number 2 in the UK Album Charts in 1978. Later that year, Gary Moore left to rejoin Thin Lizzy, and Colosseum II ended. He spent the next sixteen years on projects with Thompson, including live appearances, and score writing for film and television. His largest body of work, however, was the fourteen albums that he recorded with the The United Jazz+Rock Ensemble between 1977 and 2002.

Colosseum were reformed in 1994 for a reunion gig, and toured several times. After Dick Heckstall-Smith died in 2004, Thompson, who had been in the line-ups of Colosseum, joined as a permanent member.

Hiseman's biography, by Martyn Hanson, was released in October 2010 entitled 'Playing The Band'.